Volume Two Hundred Seventy Three

A Green Jacket for Schwartzel. Who’d a thunk it?

Hittin' the LinksHello golf fans and welcome to yet another installment of Hittin’ the Links. It has been a busy week for me, but in a good way. Monday I had the pleasure of experiencing Augusta National for the first time in person. Wow what a place, I urge any golf fan to try and get there at least one time in your life. The Masters is like no other golf tournament in the world.

In this Masters edition of HtL we begin with a look at Reggie Bush playing golf, then see what the Masters did to upset women this time, and see what rule got a little updating. Also on tap, we check out some tweets, investigate Mr. Unofficial, and do a wrap-up of the Masters. Read on!

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Staff Predictions: 2011 Masters

More than winners and losers, our panel offers up surprise picks and the style of golf they hope to see.

Thrash TalkA year ago, Tiger Woods’ return to competitive golf set the stage for a remarkable Masters week. While Woods had the attention heading in (and played what turned out to be his best tournament of the year), his long-time rival Phil Mickelson stole the show. Consecutive eagles on Saturday. A rousing final round to capture his third green jacket. Little did we know it would be the high point of both golfers’ season.

A year later, we enter Augusta with Mickelson fresh off a birdie-fest victory and Tiger still limping along, having fallen to a once-unimaginable seventh in the world. Will this be the first time since 1999 that a European player — five of the top six in the world are from across the pond — emerges? Our experts weigh in.

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Bag Drop – Masters 2011 Edition

From commemorative shoes to game consoles, the Masters brings out some of the most unique schwag that most of us will never hold in person. Just because we can’t buy it doesn’t mean that we don’t want it. Follow along as we take a look at some of the special goods that come out during Masters week.

Bag DropLast night, Stewart Cink tweeted “The Masters is the SWAG season”, and that’s probably the understatement of the week. In the past 24 hours, details and pictures of loads of limited edition apparel and accessories have made their way out into the public’s eye and it looks like the goods this year is going to dwarf that of last year.

Though most of it is given only to Tour pros participating in the year’s inaugural major, some of it is going to be released in limited numbers to the public, but all of it is extremely cool. I thought this would be a great time to wrap a lot of it up in one cohesive (though likely not comprehensive) post for your enjoyment.

I’ll give you fair warning that we won’t be spending a lot of time on minute details like we normally do, since, as they say, a picture is worth a thousand words, and I’ve got a lot of pictures.

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Staff Roundtable: All About the 2011 Masters

Favorite moment? Is Augusta National at its best? Will inclusion in a video game cheapen golf’s most traditional event? How much would you pay to tee it up? All that and more.

Thrash TalkBefore each major, The Sand Trap staff offers up our (supposedly) expert predictions. But when it comes to Augusta National and the Masters, there’s so much more to the event than winners and losers.

Today we held a virtual roundtable, weighing in on the history, tradition, and even controversies that make the Masters one of the highlights of the golf season.

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Volume Two Hundred Seventy Two

It was a good weekend to be a Scottish Golfer

Hittin' the LinksHello golf fans and welcome to another Hittin’ the Links. A big thank you goes out to Alan Olson for taking care of HtL while I was on vacation, I fabulous job he did indeed.

In this newest edition of HtL we begin with a look at why we love Bubba, find out what is coming out on redneck paperback, and see what Arnie thinks about Tiger’s swing. Also, we check out the Tiger Woods swing app, investigate what’s ailing Bernhard Langer, and do a wrap-up of the weeks events. Read on!

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EA Sports Releases Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12

For the first time in franchise history, the most popular golf video game includes Augusta National, along with “a tradition unlike any other.”

Bag DropSome people thought it would never happen, but here we stand just a few days away from the launch of EA Sports’ Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12, and for the first time ever in the 12 year old franchise, golf’s closest thing to Mecca, Augusta National, will be a playable course. With Augusta National comes The Masters, as one would expect, because having the course without the tournament would be sort of like having a cake with no icing.

While we normally don’t cover video games, this is a bit of a special occasion, and this might be that one piece of must-have equipment that gets you through those days you can’t make it out to the real golf course.

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Volume Two Hundred Seventy One

Woodland, Webb, and Woods. Oh my!

Hitting the LinksHappy Spring and welcome to another week of Hittin’ the Links where we are tracking down some entertaining stories pertaining to all-things golf.

This week we have a PGA Tour rookie getting his first win, John Smoltz makes his Nationwide debut, a battle of dueling houses, and the end of golf in Europe (okay, a big over-dramatic on my end.) So grab a latte and a scone and huddle around your computer for another week of stories from around the world of golf.

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New Season on Links Means Time for Fresh Resolutions

I’ll be focusing on fitness and consistency this year, and hopefully they’ll go hand in hand.

Thrash TalkAs if winter in the Northeast would never end, I’d convinced myself weeks ago to quit thinking about anything but the driving range. But suddenly, March arrived in New Jersey, the temperatures spiked, cleared away the mountains of snow, and there was hope my home course would open as scheduled on March 12.

So what happened on March 10? Some of the heaviest rains we’d seen in years. It was a real shock then, that I called the pro shop to see how bad the course was hit by the storm when they told me it was full steam ahead for a regular opening. Caught off guard, and with no time to fixate on the first round of the year, I headed out for a casual, just-have-fun day on the course.

Now that it’s arrived, I realize that with a new season comes hope of better golf, as well as fears it will all go wrong. With most of the country out of the deep freeze and spring fever cranking up, I offer up my resolutions for the 2011 golf season.

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